


If it Weren't for Second Chances

by peachybirb



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Brainwashing, Catra (She-Ra) Redemption, Clones, F/F, I just want them to talk about their feelings, No Beta read we die like men, Post S4, Prediction, lets talk it out
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-05-14
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:33:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24122158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peachybirb/pseuds/peachybirb
Summary: It was a relief to know that she was possibly still alive.Should I feel relieved? She is my biggest enemy? Was?And now, they were going to rescue her and the rest of the princesses.“I’ll come back for you. I promise.”---or the rebellion needs to finish Horde Prime once and for all.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 75





	1. I'm All Bloody Knuckles

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! So this is set post s4! I wrote this after listening to Heart pt. 1 (as I was listening I had a bullet list tracking the events of the story) so this is sort of a prediction or something. I wanted to get this out before s5 so lets hope and pray the second part comes out before then too!

_“Catra’s with Horde Prime.”_

The window Adora was sitting at showed the great expanse of the universe. Every time Adora looked out at the stars, seeing them twinkle back at her, she felt the wind leave her lungs. It was strange to see the place you always thought as big and vast be small in comparison to the many other planets surrounding it. One look at Etheria and you could see that the planet was in war with itself, clear before the many bombs Horde Prime had dropped onto the land. The territory the Horde had taken before Horde Prime’s arrival was dark, bleak, and devoid of color. A striking difference to the greens and blues that encompassed the rest of Etheria. While a couple of months ago it probably would have been a pretty even split, it now had large gray craters on both sides of the land. Horde Prime’s doing.

_“What do you mean she’s with Horde Prime?”_

Adora stole a glance over the many small fleets of white and green ships surrounding Etheria and felt a sharp pang in her heart. They had discovered in the past few months that each ship had around 80 clones and barely anything else. They had started their effort to diminish Horde Prime’s numbers by taking the offense and being aggressive in their attacks. However, as their numbers dwindled, they started to make the best effort in avoiding the clones all together. They had long since evacuated any vulnerable villages and made the executive decision to focus on protecting the individual kingdoms and let refugees stay there. It wasn’t a decision that Adora was proud of, but it was the best they could do with their small numbers.

_“She wasn’t a prisoner here, but she definitely wasn’t free.”_

Adora pushed away from the window sill before her eyes could catch a glimpse of the massive ship that was Horde Primes. Instead, she turned her back and walked over to the captain's seat. She rested her head in her hand, tapping her foot as she took in those that surrounded her. Entrapta was in the corner of the ship, tinkering with a communications pad that they had scavenged from one of the Horde Prime clone ships. Adora could tell by the focused look on her face and the almost full fizzy drink beside her, she wasn’t having the easiest time with the tech. Scanning the rest of the ship she can see Bow sitting in his own chair by the controls of the ship making sure they were on course. He had switched out his normal outfit for a less exposing item with more padding. He had his trusty bow and quiver on the floor beside him. Bow had been her main support system for the past few months and the other way around. It had been tough for them both as soon as they started to lose the rest of the princesses. 

_“We can’t stay long.”_

It wasn’t long into their fight against the many clones that Horde Prime had the bright idea of kidnapping the individual princesses. He started with Mermista, leading her away from the rest of the alliance and snatching her up to put onto his ship. She was on a transport to Horde Prime before the rest of the alliance even knew she was gone. The next battles were rough. They hadn’t expected Horde Prime to be able to use Mermista’s powers against them. But they knew as soon as they saw the giant wave that he had somehow gotten control of her and manipulated her into fighting against them. Horde Prime continued to do this with Frosta, Scorpia, and Spinerella. With some of their strongest fighters gone, it was hard to keep up with Horde Prime’s never-ending attacks. 

_“But we’ll come back for her, right?”_

Adora didn’t need to see Glimmer pacing to know that she was. Adora could hear her heavy footfalls and her frustrated thoughts whenever she would take a pause, only to turn back around and pace some more. It was a habit that Glimmer had before she had been captured, but being in a small cell for two months probably didn’t help. It had been two weeks since they had rescued Glimmer and found out that Catra was on the ship. Everyone in the rebellion had taken notice of the feline’s strange disappearance, but no one mentioned it. Adora would sometimes see Scorpia looking out the balcony and scanning the woods, seeming to be looking for a rustle of trees and a tail disappearing behind the cover of greenery. They knew the Horde had been destroyed and while Adora didn’t want to, she assumed the worst. The thought of Catra dying in Glimmer’s attempt to connect the runestones kept her up at night. _Had she died trying to protect the black garnet? Had she fought Glimmer and died at the hands of her enemy? Was she just in the barracks, oblivious to the invasion, when the place came down?_ Adora could never get these thoughts out of the back of her head so it was a relief to know that she was possibly still alive. _Should I feel relieved? She is my biggest enemy? Was?_ And now, they were going to rescue her and the rest of the princesses. 

“I’ll come back for you. I promise.”

\---

“How much longer till you can open a safe passage, Entrapta?” 

Glimmer was now standing behind Entrapta, anxiously looking over her shoulder. 

“Soon! I just need to bypass a couple more benchmarks!” Entrapta assured, not looking up from the tech. 

“Well bypass, sooner!” she struggled out through gritted teeth. Adora didn’t know what happened on the ship with Glimmer and Catra, but she was slightly jealous. They had been enemies, but suddenly Glimmer was aching with the need to rescue her. She had been on edge ever since they had set out on this journey and it has made the atmosphere in the ship tense. 

“Don’t talk to her like that, Glimmer.” It also didn’t help that Adora and Glimmer have yet to talk out their problems. “She’s going as fast as she can. Would you rather rush and set off an alarm, alerting Horde Prime?”

“Don’t tell me what to do! We’ve been on this ship for two weeks now with what little we have left of the alliance back at home defending our land. We’ve just been sitting here while Catra and the other princesses could be getting tortured or hurt or-”

Adora wasn’t going to let her finish. “You think I don’t know that! It is killing me to just sit here while they need us! We don’t even know if they’re safe and it’s eating me up inside! But instead of pacing around and brooding, I am trying to stay calm.”

“Calm? I am calm! You don’t know what he’s like Adora! He has the ability to know your worst nightmare, your biggest weakness, and how to use it against you! Which is why the sooner we can get to them, the less time he has to figure those things out.” Glimmer huffs. 

“I want to get to them as much as you do! We just have to wait, we’re all trying here!”

“If you wanted to get to them so bad, then you would have prepared better for this moment, instead of relying on She-ra to fix your problems.”

The words leave Glimmer’s mouth before she can stop them and the damage is done immediately. Bow let’s out a dejected “Glimmer!” before Adora turns around and runs for her room. 

\---

It’s not until around dinner time that Glimmer comes and looks for her. There are two weak knocks on her metallic door and an apprehensive, “Adora? Can I come in? I have food.”

Adora stands up from her cot and presses the button that opens the door. Glimmer is standing there with an MRE packet and a cup of dried fruit. They had packed the dried fruit and Scorpia had helped them find MRE’s from the Fright Zone to give to the refugees. Adora grabs the tray and walks back to her cot, leaving the door open. She left the choice to Glimmer. She could either let Adora eat and leave or she could take the plunge. Glimmer takes a deep breath before stepping into the room. 

“I’m…” She starts and takes another breath, looking everywhere but Adora, “sorry.” She forces out. “It was unfair of me to blame you for something you can’t control.” She talked slow, choosing her words carefully. “If anything, you should blame me.” She scoffs a bit, grimacing to herself as she meets Adora’s eyes. “I was the one who set off the Heart. If I hadn’t done that, then you wouldn’t have had to break the sword.” 

Adora stays silent for a moment, slowly eating her food and continuing to look out the small window next to her bed. She opens her mouth to speak, then closes it. She opens it again, clears her throat, and says, “I’ve tried everything. I don’t think it is possible for She-ra to be summoned without the sword.” 

Glimmer just nods her head and cautiously makes her way to Adora's cot. She stands there for a bit, as if approaching a cornered animal, then sits. She doesn’t touch Adora or sit shoulder to shoulder. They haven’t had that ability for closeness for a while. Every time they’re together it feels like a weight is pulling them apart. Until Glimmer breaches the gap between them and rests a hand on Adora’s shoulder. 

“I shouldn’t have been so demanding as queen and trusted your better judgment.” She blurts out.

“Me and Bow shouldn’t have left for Beast Island without you.” Adora finally meets Glimmer's gaze.

While this definitely isn’t the end to their apologies, it’s a start. 

\---

Their plan has worked so far. They were able to get onto the ship without being noticed and take down a lot of the Horde’s defensive and security. They were slowly making their way to the throne room so they could face Horde Prime for the last time. 

“Take a left up here.” Entrapta’s voice cut through an intercom on Bow's ear. She had stayed on the ship, opting to help them navigate instead of aiding in the fight. Bow nodded at Adora and Glimmer to turn left and they did. 

Something wasn’t sitting right with Adora. They had come across a couple of clones but if her assumptions were right, there should be a lot more. They were getting close to the throne room, so _why wasn’t there anyone standing guard? Maybe it’s a trap?_ Adora thought. There’s no way Horde Prime could have known they were coming, they were sure of that. _Maybe he had seen them dock? Maybe he could sense them?_

Adora couldn’t dwell on these thoughts for long, because right up ahead of them was a glass door leading into the throne room. The three slowed down and stood anxiously staring at the door. _What if we’re too late? What if this mission is pointless and Catra, along with the princesses, is dead? What if Horde Prime knew they were coming and as soon as they opened the door they would be shot, or skewered, or stabbed, or-_

Glimmer and Bow grabbed her hand and squeezed, drawing Adora out of her thoughts. She looked at both them and hoped her stare could convey how much she cared for them. By the smile they gave her, it must have. 

Their happiness didn't last long.

“It seems we have visitors. Come in.” 

Glimmer jumped at the sound of the deep voice coming from a speaker outside the door. Adora could feel Bow’s hand start to sweat and squeeze her hand even more. She narrowed her eyes and reached out for the door, pushing it open. 

The door opened up to a thin white bridge that led up to a bigger white platform. A white throne was at the end of the bigger platform, adorning a large green and black decorative banner over the back. Behind the throne, was an assortment of screens, all connecting to show an aerial view of Etheria. Horde Prime sat on his throne, his head resting on his palm. His four eyes blinked at the trio. 

“Welcome to my ship. I see you have gotten here without being noticed… almost.” He smirked, sitting up slightly. “Do come closer.” And despite how terrible of an idea that seemed, the three slowly made their way closer to the bigger platform. “I was quite surprised to see you three together. It seemed as though the Queen and She-ra weren’t exactly on… speaking terms.” Glimmer and Adora shifted uncomfortably. “Or… maybe not She-ra. I don’t sense the power a First One holds… maybe this confrontation won’t take as long as I had first assumed.” 

Adora shook her head, not allowing her doubts to get to her. “Where are the others?! Release them at once and leave Etheria alone!” Adora demanded, taking a step closer to the tyrant. The clone's devilish smile dropped and his eyebrows raised. 

“When I first came to Etheria I hadn’t expected such a backlash. After learning about how my brother had come close to conquering the world despite his many flaws, I assumed that if you couldn’t beat him, you would be nothing but a bug under my boot.” He narrowed his eyes a bit, “It seems I was wrong.” Suddenly Horde Prime stood and the three stepped back a bit. “Etheria isn’t extremely similar to those I have conquered but isn’t something special. If it wasn’t for the Heart of Etheria Project, I would have blown it smithereens before your pathetic efforts to stop me even began. But, alas, this planet is much more.”

“Step down Horde Prime! We’ll keep meeting every single one of your fleets toe to toe! And we won’t stop till you are gone from our orbit. As long as you’re still here, we won’t stop fighting back! Now let’s finish this!” Adora yells, taking another step forward. 

“You expect me to fight?”

The three tensed in confusion.

“Oh no. I won’t be the one you’re fighting. In fact, I think you know your enemies quite well.” 

Suddenly, the door platform they were on opened up, showing Mermista, Frosta, Spinnerella, and Scorpia. Each of them had the color drained from their faces, their expressions dangerously blank. As the platforms reached floor level, they four stepped forward. 

“Now… let the show begin.”

\---

Glimmer kicked Scorpia in the chest, sending the princess a few paces back. Before Glimmer could recover, Frosta sent ice crystals towards her. Glimmer had the haphazardly fall to the ground to avoid getting cut, a particular sharp crystal nicking her on the back of her calf. She took a sharp breath before leaping back up, once again taking a defensive stance. She stole a quick glance behind her, seeing Adora and Bow facing off Mermista and Spinnerella. The trio was stuck on the defensive, unable to gain the upper hand. 

Glimmer didn’t want to hurt her friends, so when Scorpia took a lunge forward, attempting to sweep Glimmer’s legs out from under her, Glimmer hesitated, resulting in her tripping backward. They had been at this for too long. They needed to somehow get through to their friends and rescue them. Glimmer’s muscles have started to drag, feeling as if you pulled a rubber band to its limit, about to burst. Fatigue weighed heavily on her body and it was getting harder and harder to keep up with the never-ending attack. Glimmer rolled to the left, narrowly missing a blast from Frosta’s ice crystals. 

As Glimmer started to roll away, she saw something flash in Frosta’s vacant eyes. Something that screamed regret and pain. Glimmer figured she might as well give talking a try.   
“Frosta! You’re better than this! Don’t let Horde Prime control you!” Glimmer screamed, trying once again to keep her assailants away from her, staying on the defense. For once, Frosta seemed to actually look at Glimmer, her blank stare slightly breaking. “Fros-” Glimmer was cut off by a harsh punch to the stomach by Scorpia. Although once again reeling from the assault, Glimmer continued her attempts.

“Frosta! Remember when I first met you at Princess prom? My mom always talked about you and your kingdom but Princess Prom was the first time we met face to face. Adora thought you were ten but in reality, you were 11 and three quarters. I was so intimidated by you. You ruled with such dignity even though you were so young. I never told you this, but I was jealous. You were able to rule your kingdom valiantly at such a young age for years, yet I couldn’t even rule mine for more than a few months before I tried to destroy the planet.” Glimmer could see it, she was breaking through. She continued, having to take moments to recover from the attacks that Scorpia never let up on, thankful that Frosta’s attacks seemed to have slowed; less determined. “But that’s not the only reason I admired you. You know who you are and you don’t let anyone tell you otherwise! You are such an important part of the rebellion.” Suddenly Frosta’s eyes furrowed and she saw confliction spark on her face. “You’re a good kid Frosta.” 

Frosta took in a breath, falling to the ground, shaking and on her knees. 

\---

“This is it for you Horde Prime! Leave Etheria!” 

Scorpia, Frosta, Spinerella, and Mermista stood behind Glimmer, Bow, and Adora. After what seemed like hours of fighting and trying desperately to break through whatever Horde Prime had done to make them lifeless clones. The group got into a fighting stance, ready to face whatever Horde Prime would pull out of his box of vicious tricks next. 

Instead, he just turned and looked at Adora, and only Adora. Upon feeling his gaze on her, she tightened her grip on the staff, refusing to acknowledge the fear crawling up her back. She couldn’t break down now. She pushed down the inky blackness of doubt seizing her throat and met his stare head-on. 

“I must say, you are an interesting bunch. You saved your friends with so much courage. I can tell you care deeply about each other.” Prime’s smile quirked up as if just realizing a new thought, and turned his body, his hand now clutching his chin. “I will have to take that into consideration next time I attempt to condition humans. Those they love can sometimes find… cracks in the system.” He sighed, “No matter. This development shouldn’t affect anything in the near future… That is unless I was wrong.” He side-eyed Adora. 

There was a sudden shift in the platform as another spot opened up, rising to reveal Adora’s worst nightmare. 

Catra stood as if a marionette with its strings cut. Her normal black and the red jumpsuit were now switched out for a surprisingly more intimidating outfit. She had on white skin-tight leggings that connected to a similar colored top that acted as a tank top. She had green and black accents near the calf area and hip area. She had two sheer white sleeves that stretched down to her index finger, similar to her original gloves. She had a white cape with a protruding collar that was connected to her mid-arm and stretched to mid-back. On the back of the cape was a black horde symbol. Her headpiece was switched out for a white one of the same design. 

Adora could feel that same crushing doubt take hold of her again. Catra’s eyes were blank, glowing an ominous pale green. Her face was pale and gaunt and adorned with many bruises that made Adora feel sick to her stomach. 

“Out of all my subjects, she had to be the hardest to break down. You would think the opposite but, sadly no.” Prime chuckled darkly to himself. “She had lost so much yet still put up for a fight. Silly girl. She believed you would come and destroy me, saving the day. She put up a good fight, that’s for sure.” Adora felt like she might keel over and pour her guts out at this very moment if Prime didn’t stop talking at this very moment. He continued. “All it took was to remind her of what her delusions had come from. Constantly losing to you, being overlooked, hated, unheard. Once she was reminded, it was smooth sailing from there.” 

“You monster!” Glimmer took a running start, launching herself at Prime with a battle cry. Prime just raised his eyebrow in intrigue. Before anyone knew what happened, a beige and white blur knocked into Glimmer and kicked her down the platform below. With no sound at all, Catra landed next to the princess and put her foot on her shoulder, grinding it into the ground. 

“Catra stop! Don’t do this!” 

“Do it, Catra. Finish her.”

Time seemed to slow. Catra’s claws unsheathed and she raised her arm back, preparing for a deadly swipe across Glimmer’s throat. At the last second, Adora rushed to action, using her staff to hit Catra’s wrist away. She used the other end of her staff and knocked it into Catra’s stomach. Catra skidded back, leaving a nasty scratch on Glimmer’s stomach, but otherwise seeming unfazed. She dug her foot into the ground and launched at Adora. 

Fighting this Catra was nothing Adora had ever done before. Back in the Horde, Adora and Catra would be able to play off each other's attacks, pulling punches and playfully tackling each other. When Adora had defected and left Catra behind, their fighting had changed. Adora could feel the anger and determination powered behind every attack. She could feel the fire packed into every punch and every bit of poison-laced in those claws. However, Catra seemed to lack all those attributes. Her expressions never changed, keeping that same haunting glow in her eyes and unwavering frown on her face no matter what advances were made in the battle. Her fighting was not only based on speed but strangely strength. Catra never chose to go the brute way of things, deciding to outsmart her victim instead. This, however, was the opposite. She would catch Catra going in for punches that left her other side completely open. The Catra she knew would be too quick for you to find an opening. 

“Catra, listen to me!” 

Catra’s advances didn’t falter.

Taking a risky glance back, Adora saw Bow, Mermista, Spinnerella, and Scorpia trying their best against Horde Prime’s clones. Frosta was at Glimmer’s side, trying to check her injuries and defend her against any clones coming for them while they were down. It seemed as though Horde Prime had specifically made it to only Adora and Catra. 

Catra took a daring leap forward, attempting to land a sidekick on Adora while she wasn’t looking. However, Adora reacted on instinct, slamming her staff into the feline’s ribs. 

“Whatever he told you, whatever he did, he was wrong! All of it!” 

Adora dodged to the right, avoiding a left hook. 

“I care about you! You were my best friend!” 

When Catra prepared a kick to her left side she sent a swift jab to her upper right thigh. 

“Shadow Weaver didn’t love me anymore than she did you! She used me. She used me for my power. I was never better than you!” 

Catra seemed to second guess her next kick. Curiously, Catra’s face mask’s black accents glowed green before flashing back. When Adora dodged, she noticed that they were getting dangerously close to the edge.

“You proved everyone wrong. You climbed the ranks of the Horde quicker than anyone in history! You went toe to toe with She-ra with nothing but your determination and wit!” 

Once again, Catra faltered, completely ignoring Adora’s blind spot. She watched closely, the face mask definitely doing something to Catra. After a couple of seconds, she tried to perform a jab to Adora’s right cheek but was pushed further to the edge of the platform instead.

“I shouldn’t have left you. I should have seen what was going on around me. I was supposed to be by your side. We look out for each other, me and you!”  
If this didn’t work, then Adora didn’t know what would. 

Catra’s attempts slipped, her mask glowing a bright green once again. 

“You promise?” 

Adora nearly sobbed of joy at the sound of Catra’s pained voice, straining against whatever Prime did to her head. 

“I promise.” 

Adora saw her words get through, Catra’s eyes shifting back to the beautiful mix of sun and moon. Adora also saw Catra’s front foot land on the edge of the platform, her back foot instinctually attempting to balance herself by planting it behind her. She saw her foot catch nothing, teetering her backward. She then saw a green laser shoot break the moment. A shot straight to Catra’s heart sent her off the edge of the platform. Before Adora even knew what she was doing, she was leaning after her, chasing her hand off the throne room floor. 

For what seemed like second nature, the world became just her and Catra. 

“Catra!”

“Adora!”

\---

Bow shot another arrow at a clone, taking little satisfaction in the bunch of mechanical parts it became. He took a look over her group. Mermista was doing her best trying to keep up with the clones without her element. As soon as she broke free of Prime’s imprisonment, whatever he was doing to allow her to use water switched off, leaving her with barely anything to fight with. The same went for Frosta’s powers, who was now by Glimmer’s side. Spinnerella and Scorpia were holding their own, using the combination of wind and lightning to push the clones back then render their circuits useless. 

“Asset is compromised.” 

Bow looked up, seeing Horde clone staring straight at the right edge of the platform. He watched as it readied a shot. Bow shifted his gaze seeing Adora and Catra dangerously close to the edge.

“Adora!” 

He tried to yell and warn her but it was too late. The clone fired, sending a shot straight through Catra’s chest. He helplessly watched Adora and Catra fall off the edge of the platform. 

Before reality could sink in, a bright light shone through the entire throne room. Bow shielded his eyes with his arm, unable to look at the searing light. Slowly, he peeled his arm away and took in the sight before him. 

Adora was no longer there, now replaced with the shining figure of She-ra. She-ra's long flowing hair was now in a long ponytail, adorning her signature hair poof. Her shorts were now plain white leggings with a gold stripe going up the side, the design intricate and swirling. Her top had a gold heart in the middle of her chest and had the same gold cross up the middle. The sleeves ended with a similar shoulder as her red jacket. The tiara was now shaped to cup her whole face and had larger wings on the side. The runestone was now sitting atop the tiara in the middle of her forehead. 

_She looked absolutely magical._

She-ra held a limp Catra in her arms. The laser that she took a hit from left a sizzling mark in her chest. She-ra took a few steps forward before slipping off Catra’s white headpiece off her head. She then threw it to the ground and stomped on it, bursting it into a million pieces. She then laid Catra down and put her hands to her own chest, then to the felines. Bow could only admire as golden wisps of magic curled around the two, encompassing them both in a warm glow. Before long, Catra gasped awake, sitting upright and clutching She-ra’s shirt. It only took a few looks before the feline launched herself into the princess's arms, clutching her as if she was her only lifeline. 

“How sweet.” 

The two startled away from each other, remembering where they were. The two stood, both glowing slightly.

“Can't you see? You can glow and make up, but it doesn't change that fact that you will never be able to beat me.” 

“That’s where you’re wrong.” Catra’s voice said with certainty.

“Us Etherians stick together.”


	2. Longing for Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! I'm getting this out before s5! Which is in only a couple of hours! Also, in AO3, for some reason, made some the paragraphs were tripled spaced? I tried to fix them but it wasn't saving. So sorry if it is formated weird in any places.

It was silent in the throne room. Everyone stood at a ready stance, prepared for anything that Prime could throw at them. 

They weren’t expecting a loud cackle to resonate through the room. 

Catra stiffened. That was the same laugh she would hear at the dinner table when he would talk so fondly of the planets he destroyed or when he was talking about his progress on taking over Etheria. It made her mind numb and her feet turn to lifeless weights, unable to move. She tried not to let her emotions show through her face but she was sure if anyone took a close look they would see her shaking hands and her twitching ears. 

When Prime’s laugh ceased to a mere chuckle, he said, “You think that because you have the power of “friendship” you will be able to beat me?” his tone turned serious, “I have been taking down planets like yours for eons. Just because you have all decided to reunite doesn’t mean you will be able to overpower me and my massive army.” He sat back down on his throne, “While I am quite entertained by your theatrics, I’ve decided it’s getting late. It’s about time you pathetic Etherians learn your place in the order of-”

Suddenly, a white light shot straight at Prime’s face, cutting him off. 

Everyone swiftly looked at Adora who was holding her new sword up. “I’m done with listening to villainous monologues.” She said, lowering her sword. Catra blushed a bit at the statement, reminiscing on the many times she declared her evil actions to Adora in their many fights. A roar erupted from Prime. Once the light had disappeared, you could see the result of the blast. 

Prime’s face was slightly melted on the side of his three eyes. The melted material revealed the wiring inside his head. It was grotesque to see the parts of his body that connected technology to organs. Whatever metallic exterior he had on his face was now steaming. He clutched that side of his face with his right hand and pushed himself up with his left. 

“Destroy them!” 

At every angle, Horde Clones came rushing in, surrounding the group. No one needed to say anything, everyone began to fight off the attackers. 

Catra and Adora fell back into an old rhythm. Catra taking the lead, distracting and confusing opponents, leading them into traps where Adora would crush them with brute strength. It was like when they were still in the Horde together as teenagers in the same squad. However, this was more mesmerizing. Catra never felt the pressure of succeeding Adora and to please Shadow Weaver, instead of being able to use her own strengths to her advantage. No need to try and copy what Adora was doing. She was able to fight as her own individual, playing off Adora’s attacks and outsmarting the clones. Adora no longer needed to look after Catra. She was probably the person who knew Catra’s capabilities the best and had complete faith she could handle herself. She didn’t need to smother Catra’s choices with protection and rights. She trusted she would be okay.

While they were fighting, Catra tried to give Adora some information she gathered while on the ship. 

“Horde Prime uses his throne to like, recharge. I think it’s how he is able to have been alive this long,” She explained after taking a calculated swipe at a clone's armor. 

“What are you saying we do?” Adora sliced through two clones at once, “duck.”

Catra did and watched as Adora sent a blast over her head, taking out three clones with one hit. She felt a surge of pride at this, although she didn’t know why. “If we can take out his throne, it could weaken him. Make it where whatever we do to beat him is permanent. Otherwise, he will just keep recharging.” 

Adora considered this. “Is there anything we can do to make him shut down? If he’s connected to the throne, would it be crazy if he was connected to more than that? Maybe something on the ship is a weak point.” 

Catra slammed her foot down on a clone's head before responding, “I’m not sure. Although, he never let anyone in the west wing. He’s hiding something there.” 

“Got it.” Adora jumped to the side, ending up back to back with Catra. “Can you make it over to Bow and tell him to ask Entrapta to explore the west wing?” 

“Entrapta?!” Catra exclaimed. Adora had to reach over and send a blast at a clone about to hurt Catra because she was so distracted. 

“Yes. We can talk later.”

“But I-”

“We _will_ talk about it later. Go. Now.” 

\---

“Entrapta! What is the west wing? Can you see anything?” Bow asked his finger periodically on his earpiece to get the transmission through. 

_“The west wing? I was wondering what the blacked-out section of the ship was. One second.”_

“We don’t have a second Entrapta! We can’t fight off these clones forever!” 

_“Don’t worry! I’ve got it right here! It looks like- oh how fascinating! All that First One’s tech! Is that a 12 sided Dodedriver?!”_

“Entrapta!” 

_“Yes, yes of course. Let’s see. It looks like this is where Horde Prime makes his clones. It also looks like- Oh my gosh it can’t be! Horde Prime is more complicated than we thought. He has what looks like his own being in a jar! Absolutely genius!”_

“If we destroy his being, will he be gone?” 

_“I doubt it as he must have backups in place for these kinds of situations. But from what it looks like it would reset his mainframe. Make him… different.”_

“How do we get into the west wing?”

_“There isn’t any way I can hack into the doors quick enough. But there’s a ventilation system that you could follow into one of the storage closets on the side of the ship.”_

“How small are they? Could Frosta fit through?” 

_“The vent is 35 by 45 inches!”_

“So.. yes?”

_“Yes!”_

“Thank you Entrapta!” Bow released his hold on the earpiece and sent another shot at an incoming clone. He turned over to Adora and Catra. “We can send Frosta into the vents to get into the west wing. There, we can reset Prime. We just need to direct Frosta over to-” 

“No.” Catra interrupted. “I’ll go.” Adora immediately disagreed. _I just got you back. I can’t lose you again._ But Catra was firm. “I can fit into the vents. And after being on this ship for this long, I have a better idea of what buttons to push to actually do harm.” They continued to fight off the Horde bots while they considered this. 

“Okay,” Bow said, taking out his earpiece and handing it to Catra. “Touch the comm you will be able to talk to Entrapta. We will create a diversion so you can sneak out of here.” 

“Got it.” As she was leaving, Adora grabbed her arm.

“This isn’t the end of this.” Something about the way Adora was looking at her made Catra softly smile. She simply nodded before taking off towards the exit. 

\---

“Alright Entrapta, where do I go?” Catra pushed herself up against the wall of the ship, hoping to avoid any camera's visibility. Catra tried to focus on hiding instead of the guilt seeping into her skin. _What if Entrapta doesn’t want to speak to me? What if she doesn’t want to help me and will lead me into a trap in some sort of sick revenge._ Then a darker thought broke through, _you would deserve it. You could have gotten her killed. If it weren’t for Adora she probably would be. Once again, Adora has to clean up after you._

 _“Catra?”_ Entrapta’s voice took her out of her intrusive thinking. 

“Yes.” She swallowed thickly, not being able to give anything more than a curt affirmation. 

_“Oh.”_ There was a slight pause and Catra felt like her heart might break into even more pieces. Thankfully, Entrapta continued, _“if you go right, there is a white panel with screws in it. Do you think you can get those unscrewed?”_

Catra didn’t wait to respond and simply ran to the right. She quickly found the panel, it is the only one that didn’t match with the simple bleak walls. She unsheathed her claws and used them to unscrew the screws. When the panel fell, it revealed the vent pathway, to which she quickly entered. It was small, but with her petite form, she was able to get through. She started to crawl forward, trying to ignore the increasing heat of the vent. It was extremely humid and cramped but she tried to focus on her destination. 

_“Take another right up here, then a left. Once you get there open the vent cover below you. Once you drop down you’ll be in what looks like the cloning area.”_

“What do I do once I get there?” Catra took the right and continued. 

_“Just start destroying things. Looking at the way these clones are built, there could be an overdrive button that could stop all of them at once.”_

“Got it.” It was silent again. Catra kept moving in the shaft, trying to ignore the guilt. When she took a left, she opened her mouth to say something but closed it. What could she even say? What could make up for what she did? “Look, Entrapta, I’m so-”

_“No. Not right now.”_

Catra closed her mouth in shame, not saying anything else. She kept crawling forward, eventually coming across the other vent cover. She quickly repeated what she did before and pushed the cover off. 

Dropping down, she tried not to be intimidated by the amount of technology around her. Flashes of needles, metal straps, and Horde Prime’s cold metal talons on her cheek, squeezing, clutching, crushing, made her hands shake once again. 

The room was the same white as the rest of the ship, but there was much more color than any other room. There were many glass chambers filled with sickly green colored liquid. Different clones at different stages of development float in the tubes. There were many screens with different displays showing statistics and numbers. Shaking off her initial shock, Catra began to smash and break everything she could find in the room. She pressed buttons, pulled levers, and smashed screens. She ignored the electric shocks on her fingertips as she continued to break everything in sight. 

She moved to another computer when a folder titled “Etherian Beings” caught her eye. She wanted to resist the urge to open it, but temptation took over. When she clicked on it, many files and photos popped up. She gasped as photos of herself, Glimmer, Adora, and the other princesses took over the screen. There were many numbers and what looked like ingredient components listed by their names. However, in bright red letters, under all their photos, it horrifyingly stated: “Cloning, possible”

Swallowing bile in her throat, Catra quickly smashed her shaking hand into the screen. 

She spent another five minutes breaking things before one of the last screens in the room started flashing red with a message: 

“Clone’s operating system compromised. Initiate total shut down?”

Catra immediately clicked yes. 

\---

Adora smashed her sword into another bot. The group had been fighting all with the hope that Catra would find some way to weaken the enemy's attacks. 

_Please be okay. Please hurry and be okay._

As Adora was about to blast another group of bots, the green lenses of every clone around her turned red. Then, at the same time, every bot fell to the floor. All the princesses and Bow just stared at the bots on the floor in shock. It was silent, even Horde Prime didn’t say anything. 

Suddenly, Bow let out a nervous laugh. His laugh escalated, everyone else joining in. 

“S-She did it! W-We did it!” Bow cheered, hugging Adora.

“You think just because the clones are gone, that you’ve won? You still have to defeat me! I am from the First Ones, I am an intergalactic overlord and you think you can beat me?!” Prime was outraged. He stood, taking dangerous steps towards the group. They all took a step back, forgetting their joy. “I will crush you! I will destroy you and this stupid planet! I will take delight in watching the light leave your eyes! The very sight of your faces turning pale will fill me with joy as I unleash my final blow! You made a mistake messing with me, now you will all-” Prime stood straighter and stopped mid-sentence. “You will all-” He began to move erratically. His eyes went blank as he started to sputter. “P-Pay.” He looked like he was glitching out. 

“Did Catra destroy his brain? Is that why he is acting this way?” Spinnerella uttered. Everyone just watched as Horde Prime’s eyes turned light green. 

“Prime_111318 is resetting. Please stand by.” 

Everyone waited. Suddenly, his eyes returned to normal and everyone jumped into ready stances. 

“Hello. I am Prime system 111318. How may I help you?” Prime’s voice was calm and mechanical. Everyone glanced at each other in confusion, not sure what to do. Mermista broke that silence. 

“Um, leave Etheria and never bother anyone ever again?” Even though it was supposed to be a command, it was more of a daring question. Prime sat back down in his throne, his stare blank and above the group's heads. 

“Very well. Initiating extraction sequence in 20 minutes. Compiling operating systems.” With those final words, his eyes went light green again and he sat frozen, nothing but whirring sounds of technology. It was once again silent. There was still the chance that Prime could jump up from his throne and continue the fight. 

“What are you all standing around for? I thought you rebellion folk would be the celebrating type,” A flat voice said from behind the group. Adora turned around and was so overcome with emotion at the sight of the feline. All the worry she had been holding onto washed away, relief taking its place. She had been so scared that Catra wouldn’t return, or her efforts would be for nothing. However, now, they had beaten Horde Prime and the war was over. 

Yet that brought a lot of other questions. What would happen next? Would Catra continue trying to destroy the Rebellion? Would they stay enemies? Is that what Adora wanted? 

_I should be happy right now. We won._

“Thank you.” 

Catra seemed shocked at the gratitude, quickly averting her gaze to her feet. “You’re welcome.” 

\---

The trip back to Bright Moon was quiet. Most people were resting due to their injuries after a quick glass of champagne. They had gotten hold of those back at the castle and told them of their victory. They were informed that a celebration was in order for their arrival. Most people were just in shock. After years of fighting the Horde, it was all completely over. They could finally rest. No more battles, no more tyrants, and especially no more enemies. 

Well, almost. 

As soon as they entered the ship, Catra took Scorpia and Entrapta aside. At first, Adora didn’t listen closely, wanting to give the group their privacy. However, her curiosity got the best of her. Now, she was sitting on the floor with her ear pressed up against the door. The door was slightly cracked open so she had a small view of the trio. 

“I just wanted to-” Catra began, not looking at either of them. The two were sitting on a cot while Catra nervously paced in front of them. Adora knew Catra wasn’t good at apologies. It was always hard for her to swallow her pride and admit she was wrong. Maybe if she was able to apologize to Scorpia and Entrapta, then maybe she really did change.

Catra groaned, pushing the heels of her hands into her eyes. “I’m- this is terrible.” She put her hands in her hair, clutching the mane. “I did such… terrible things to you guys. What can I say to possibly make up for that?” Adora could see her shoulders tense and begin to shake. Scorpia gave a nervous look at Entrapta before getting up. She approached Catra, the feline not looking up from the floor. Then, in a grand gesture, Scorpia hugged her. Adora was expecting Catra to shy away or to scratch Scorpia till she let her go. But to her surprise Catra clutched onto Scorpia’s shirt, sobbing into the fabric. 

“It’s okay, wildcat. How about starting with, I'm sorry?” Catra took some pathetic sniffs at Scorpia’s soft voice. 

“I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry. I wasn’t right.” 

“I know.”

“I couldn’t let myself be happy.”

“I know.” 

After a couple of minutes of Catra crying, Entrapta also joined the hug. 

“I forgive you. Even though you did send me to Beast Island and I almost died many times, I forgive you.” 

“Thank you. Thank you guys so much.”

Adora’s heart clenched. How were they able to forgive Catra so easily? It wasn’t fair. It took being kidnapped by an alien overlord, gaining the help of the daughter of the queen she killed and being left behind by people she barely knew, for her to realize she was wrong? Was this how Catra felt when Adora left? This same inky jealousy coursing through her. She felt wrong and gross. She should be happy that Catra isn’t her enemy anymore. 

\---

Adora was sitting at that same window she was at before they entered Horde Prime’s ship. The planet looked the same, but there were no longer ships surrounding it. Those ugly green and white ships were gone, now showing off the expanse of the rest of the universe. Finally, they were free. 

However, Adora knew this wouldn’t last forever. They weren’t alone anymore. They were no longer in their own little pocket dimension. They would have to send delegates over to the neighboring planets. There were many different documents to be signed, meetings to attend and kingdoms to visit. Not only that, but they had to decide what they were going to do with the remaining Horde soldiers. 

It was true when Horde Prime came that the Horde the Rebellion had been fighting was gone, but the soldiers in the Horde weren’t. They were able to keep them at bay, most deciding to hide from the clones instead of try and become a third party. Some had even tried to join Horde Prime’s order, but that didn’t end well. Horde Prime wanted perfection and nothing else, something that the typical Horde soldier or Force Captain couldn’t live up to. When returning, Adora was sure that the Horde Soldiers that still considered themselves a part of the Horde would reappear. 

They would also have to rebuild the Horde to be Scorpia’s kingdom. Maybe she could convince Scorpia to let any Horde soldier looking for a home to be a part of her kingdom? She was sure Scorpia would agree. She needed to make a note to bring that up in the next Princess Alliance meeting. 

“It’s pretty, isn’t it?” Adora almost jumped out of her skin. She turned and glared at the former Force Captain in front of her. “The stars, that is,” Catra muttered, suddenly sheepish. Her eyes flashed with consideration before gesturing to the other side of the window sill. “May I sit?” Adora just shrugged, not sure what she really wanted. She must have taken it as a yes because she sat down and leaned against the window, not even looking out at the view. “Can-” she took a breath, “can I talk to you?” 

“Did you let me talk to you all those times we were fighting?” Adora spat back, noticing how Catra’s claws lengthened. She knew it was likely out of surprise and discomfort from her response but she couldn’t help the intrusive thoughts of Catra’s true intentions slip her mind. Catra averted her gaze to the planet outside.

“I suppose I didn’t.” 

“Then why should I let you talk?” She saw Catra’s shoulders tense and her jaw stiffen but she continued nonetheless, “I tried so many times to convince you to come with me! I never, _ever_ wanted to fight you. But instead, you took my heart and smashed it into pieces because you felt bitter. And now, you want me to believe you’ve suddenly changed your mind? People don’t try to destroy the world one day, and then heroically save it the next. Just because we fought the same enemy, doesn’t mean I trust you. Whatever game you’re playing, I don’t buy it.” 

It was silent for a bit, Adora refusing to look at Catra. 

“I know.” 

Adora turned, caught off guard by the trembling voice beside her. She could see the tears in Catra’s eyes and the blood falling from her hands. Adora, forgetting the conclusion she just came to, leaned over and opened the feline’s hands, keeping them open so she couldn’t dig her claws into her palms. After this, Catra continued. 

“I could never make up for what I did. I was selfish and cruel and malicious and it was not okay. I know that just because I helped beat Horde Prime that it couldn’t ever change the things I did. I wanted someone to blame that wasn’t myself and I chose you. I just- I want to at least try and atone for the things I did. I accept any punishment.” Catra said, looking into Adora’s eyes at the last moment. “I just want things to go back to the way they were before.” 

Adora smiled sadly but kept her gaze hard. “They can’t. Not after everything you’ve done.”

“That’s what I thought.” Catra stood up, ready to leave with her ears down and on the verge of ugly sobs (for the second time that day).

“But,” Adora’s voice cut through whatever thoughts that were going through the feline’s head, “We may be able to make something new.” Catra turned around, hopeful that maybe she hadn’t destroyed what they had. Maybe there was a chance for them to still be in each other's lives. “It will be hard.”

“I will do anything to atone for what I did.”

“I can’t promise everyone will agree.” 

“I understand.” 

“You are going to have a lot of enemies.” 

“What’s new?” 

Adora stood up, and for the first time, they really looked at each other since the fateful day in Thaymor. 

“If it weren't for second chances, we'd all be alone.”

Catra just smiled, tears of joy finally leaking though. 

"It's good to have you back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Comments and kudos are very much appreciated! Writing this has been a lot of fun! I doubt that the real ending will play out anything like this, but it was fun to get creative. I'm sorry if it is a bit rushed towards the end, or if there are some mistakes. I tend to overlook things and correct things in my head while I re-read what I write. In other words, thank you, and please stay safe out there. 
> 
> (Once again, the song is "Second Chances" by Gregory Isakov!)

**Author's Note:**

> Don't worry! There will be plenty more Catradora where that came from! Thank you so much for reading! Comments and kudos are appreciated. I originally wanted this to be one really big one shot but I got antsy to release something so here we are. worked really hard on this and am still trying to figure out how to convey the emotions of the characters through my writing, so any pointers would be great! Look out for a second part (hopefully before s5!!) 
> 
> For anyone wondering, the title and chapter title comes from the song Second Chances by Gregory Isakov!


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